The extent of Stokes’ injury was realized earlier this week when it was confirmed that he had been excluded from England’s 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy in February. The ECB said he had not been considered on medical grounds as he had not played for England’s ODI team since their exit from the 50-over World Cup in India in November 2023.
Stokes’ 36.2 overs in Hamilton were the most he bowled in a Test since 40 at Trent Bridge in 2022 (also against New Zealand). On day one, his 23 overs were the most he managed in a single day, split into spells of eight, eight and seven. It’s worth noting that England’s first innings capitulation for 143 meant their seamers only had 34.5 overs of rest after 97.1 between them for New Zealand’s opening effort. The hosts went further in their second innings, keeping England on the field for 101.4 overs and eventually finishing on 453.
This New Zealand series gave Stokes seven dismissals at 36.85 from 66.1 overs, his most as captain, accompanied by a batting average of 52.66 in four innings. After struggling to effectively fill the all-round role, it had been a welcome return to the Stokes of old.
Having arrived in the local summer following successful knee surgery in October 2023, he bowled 49 overs in three Tests against the West Indies, with five wickets taking him past 200 career dismissals. The tear subsequently set him back, ruling him out of the three-match series against Sri Lanka at the end of the season and the first Test of the tour of Pakistan.
Stokes returned for the final two matches of that series, but England lost both, succumbing to a 2–1 defeat having won the first Test. He admitted that his drive to regain full fitness led him to become “physically exhausted and bankrupt.” When the team met in Queenstown at the start of the series, Stokes apologized for the negative effect he had on the team atmosphere.
Before the Hamilton test, Stokes was optimistic that he was in a good place and with a better understanding of his body.
“I have to work a lot harder on the physical side of the job to allow myself to go out and do my job, but I got a good number of overs over the last two games and I have more confidence to get through a lot of situations.” spells in a day.
“That’s where I got to before I pulled my hamstring. I bowled well in the summer, had a setback, but now I feel out of it and don’t worry about anything else happening again. A “As you get older, you think about your body a little more, but I work harder because I have to.”
